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Feeling anxious during emotionally charged moments is normal; that uneasy feeling eventually fades away, allowing you to move forward with your day. However, for many young adults aged 18-29—around 15% of them, based on a 2019 survey—experience either mild, moderate, or severe anxiety disorders. Having an anxiety disorder can cripple your daily life by making it difficult to focus on work or school or enjoy relaxing. (1) But you don’t have to suffer in silence any longer. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can be a powerful tool to manage anxiety symptoms and boost your well-being as a young adult. Start your path to better mental health by learning more about CBT and how it could help you in this article.
Understanding Anxiety in Young Adults
Ever feel your heart race or your palms sweat for no reason? Maybe you’ve suddenly felt intense worry, unease, and nervousness. That could be anxiety. Anxiety as a disorder is a broad spectrum and may come in several types, which include:
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Panic disorder
- Social anxiety disorder or social phobia
- Substance-induced anxiety disorder
Going to college, managing social media, and adulting in general can be a recipe for anxiety. If you’ve been diagnosed with anxiety, finding a therapist who specializes in therapy for young adults can really help. This kind of therapist understands what the common young adult is going through and can provide you with tailored treatment that doesn’t interfere with school or work life. Consider testing the waters through an online therapy session so you can receive expert help while in the safety of your home.
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety?
CBT is a psychological treatment approach that targets the connections between your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. Sessions equip you with strategies to understand how your thinking patterns influence your feelings and actions, especially when it comes to anxiety.
A central idea in CBT is cognitive distortion. It revolves around the negative thought patterns that often fuel anxiety, like envisioning the worst possible outcome. For instance, you might find yourself assuming that you’d be a complete failure in life if you didn’t achieve a perfect exam score. Mental filtering is another example. Here, you solely focus on the negative part of a certain situation. CBT helps you identify your cognitive distortions and challenge them to facilitate a more balanced and realistic mindset.
Components of CBT
CBT has two main components:
1. Cognitive therapy
This therapeutic technique helps people improve their mental health by finding and fixing the negative emotions and assumptions that are making them feel bad. It’s often interchanged with CBT, but cognitive therapy is one of the specific techniques under the CBT umbrella.
2. Behavioral therapy
Behavioral therapy, on the other hand, is a technique that helps patients develop coping skills and change the behaviors that worsen their anxiety symptoms. Therapy sessions involving this method focus on eliminating unwanted behaviors to make way for desirable ones.
Whichever technique your therapist suggests, you may find some improvement with consistent sessions. Studies have demonstrated that CBT is effective for anxiety disorders, with people showing lower anxiety symptoms within 12 months after completing treatment. (2)
How CBT Can Help Young Adults Manage Anxiety
Many people are still trying to understand how life works when they’re under 30. For some young adults, newfound independence through college or the workforce brings about life changes that can take a toll on their mental state, leaving them struggling to cope.
Through CBT, young adults can identify negative thinking patterns. Negative thoughts include those moments you convince yourself you’ll bomb a presentation or everyone secretly hates you. CBT challenges those thoughts and develops a more balanced perspective.
A therapist can equip you with techniques like cognitive restructuring to manage your anxiety, teaching you to focus on positive experiences or challenge worst-case scenarios in your mind, gradually helping you feel less anxious and more in control of your emotions.
CBT also equips you with coping mechanisms when those negative thoughts and feelings reappear. You’ll learn deep breathing exercises and other relaxation techniques to counter the physical symptoms of your anxiety. In some instances, you might undergo exposure therapy or systematic desensitization. Here, you’ll gradually confront your feared situations in a safe and controlled environment until you gain the strength to manage your phobias or social fears independently.
Benefits of CBT for Young Adults with Anxiety
CBT is a highly effective treatment for various anxiety disorders. Through cognitive restructuring, you can significantly reduce your anxiety symptoms, improving your well-being in the long run.
The addition of CBT in your therapy sessions proves helpful in eliminating the triggers that cause your anxiety in the first place. Multiple studies have revealed that CBT is a more efficient treatment in a controlled environment or real-life situations than talk therapy with a therapist. (3)
But beyond the immediate relief, you’ll also learn valuable life skills every young adult should know. CBT sessions teach you how to regulate your thoughts and emotions and develop healthy coping mechanisms on your own. Therapy can also help build your resilience, better preparing you to handle future challenges that come your way.
Finding a CBT Therapist
Managing anxiety involves open communication with those willing to help you. But to get there, you must find a CBT therapist you can trust. CBT is a collaborative effort, so you need to be able to tell your therapist everything that’s going on.
First, focus your search on qualified therapists who specialize in therapy for young adults. You can browse for options online that accept your insurance (if you have one) or offer setups like online therapy. If you’re in college, your school’s counseling center might offer CBT services. Check it out—it could be a convenient and affordable option.
Once you’ve found the ideal CBT therapist, know how often you should attend therapy sessions. CBT generally works on a short-term, structured basis where you could meet weekly. Whatever the schedule you and your therapist agree on, make sure to follow it.
What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Anxiety? The Tool You May Need
Anxiety disorders can get in the way, especially when you’re still navigating young adult life. But you have a tool that can aid in you managing your symptoms—cognitive behavioral therapy.
With assistance from a licensed mental health professional, you’ll gain the skills to improve your mental health and thrive amidst the demands of daily life. Be bold and take the first step.
References
- “Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder Among Adults: United States, 2019,” Source: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db378.htm
- “Long-term Outcomes of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety-Related Disorders,” Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6902232/
- “Benefits of CBT: 8+ Results of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy,” Source: https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-of-cbt/
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